Grassland and woodland survey, Snowdonia, North Wales (2015)

What a treat to visit some traditionally managed land which retains much of its ecological character and interest. And I got paid! This really can be the best job in the world sometimes 🙂

My survey partner and I were commissioned to do NVC survey of grassland and associated habitats surrounding an old farmstead in Snowdonia, North Wales. A charity is hoping to purchase the area and was interested in the potential of the land for nature conservation. Happily, our survey found that there is plenty of interest on the land already, including a range of semi-improved and unimproved grasslands, bryophyte-rich woodland and a variety of mires. So much so, in fact, that we underestimated how much time we needed for the survey and ended up panicking that we wouldn’t finish in time! All sorted in the end but it was a good lesson to learn – always add a little bit of time for contingencies….

Highlights included Rhynchospora alba, white beak-sedge, a species of nutrient-poor mires: